So we have a pear tree in our back yard that decided this was the year it was going to successfully bear fruit.

Its been extremely dry and we've been away a lot so I haven't cut the grass in about 8 weeks. I didn't even notice the tree had ripe fruit on it until yesterday. Stoked to check it out I walked over to pick some and noticed there's about ten full grown pears rotting on the ground below the tree that are just absolutely infested with wasps.

The tree is near our fence with the neighbors so I gotta deal with this fast so they don't get overwhelmed by wasps.

Does anyone know of a safe way to approach this? I broke my ribs and fucked up my back on a dirt bike last weekend so I can't exactly do anything that requires quick reactions or running away.

Any ideas would be super helpful πŸ™

[EDIT] The solution was to wait until nightfall for them to return to their nest. I was able to pick up all the fruit and dispose of it with ease with maybe 5 wasps hanging around, seemingly in a stupor due to low light and cold air, instead of what looked like a few hundred during the day.

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[–] 43 points 1 year ago (8 children)

I'm guessing that you're in the US and have strange rules about eliminating nature from your gardens... I'd just leave them to it. Wasps actually do a really important job and most of the time they just go about their own business. This time of year is hard for them as their preferred food has gone so they seek sugar, any sugar to survive, but the windfalls won't last forever and then the wasps themselves will also be gone until the spring.

The only time I'd deal with wasps is if there was a nest either in my house or shed, or by a door that I need to use. They're fascinating creatures when you get a chance to watch them.

Enjoy the nature, there's not much of it around nowadays.

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  • [–] [S] 13 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    Thanks for your feedback. I'm in Canada and as far as I know there are no laws or rules about this, but I don't want my neighbors to be harassed by wasps, nor am I happy with how many of them harass me on my deck at the moment. I'm not looking to exterminate them, rather safely pick up the fruit and chuck it into a field next to my house so that they're further away from us.

    I just don't want to risk being attacked by them if I try to move the fruit, y'know? I can't safely run or even shoo them away right now due to the pain of my injuries.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    They don't want to sting you.

    Pick the fruit up in the earlyish morning when it's cool. Do it carefully so you're not squashing any wasps that are about and you should be fine.

    Move slowly and don't 'flap'.

    Unless you have health problems a couple of stings are painful, but not that bad.

    Not long ago I had a Queen wasp fall into my T-shirt resulting in five stings on my back. I dosed up on antihistamines and was OK in an hour or so. - yes, the wasp was captured and safely released.

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  • [–] 19 points 1 year ago

    They don’t want to sting you.

    Maybe they don't "want" to sting anyone, but wasps can be very territorial and aggressive. Every time I've ever been stung by a wasp, I was minding my own business and just happened to piss one off by existing nearby.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    You could use something more enticing to attract them to another location.

    Unrelated wasps seem to prefer prosciutto over any other item on a spread filled with meats and cheeses.

    I would say leave the fruit where it is for now, pickup and throw out anything they are not currently devouring, and then leave something sweet or salty in another area somewhere.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    Use a tool with a long handle, like a shovel or one of those grabber things, to pick up the wasp-y pears and throw them in the desired direction. Wear protective clothing (long pants, long sleeves, gloves, hat, bandanna wrapped around your face, IDK) if you're overly paranoid about stings.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I had issues with fall wasps trying to nest on our balcony. I bought mint extract and sprayed it everywhere. The do not like the smell of mint. A lot less after that.

    Smells nice too and is not a toxic chemical.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 year ago

    Gonna have to develop a tolerance to them, maybe start by just eating a few dead ones and work your way up.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    spray a bunch of strong smelling essential oils on the area

    doesn't hurt them, but will deter them

    science!

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Clean up the fruit at night.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    Are they typically less aggressive at night?

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    They usually won't be near the fruit at night. They have nests where they gather for warmth.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Sounds like a non-problem to me. Go inside, wait a month, they'll be gone

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago
    [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    Do it at night.

    Set out a wasp trap too.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    sarin*

    *obviously a joke

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Eat the spicy fruit. Show them you're not to be trifled with.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    sorry I can't come up with anything more humane but here it is: my safe-ish idea would be to get a large clear plastic box, and drop it (opening facing down) on top of the pears and wasps. If it's large enough you're likely to be able to do this without angering them, and as long as it falls flat-ish they won't be flying right back at you.

    From there you can just leave them, or come back a while later and place something heavy on the box so it doesn't fly with the wind.

    There's a chance some of them might escape but if they do it will be one by one manageable) and otherwise they'll keep feeding on the rotting fruit until weather or lack of water takes care of them.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Depends on your machine, but mine can just ride over them and mulches them.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago* (4 children)

    Buy some wasp freeze online. Wasp Freeze II, or something containing geraniol, line Proverde. It will kill them on contact. Wasp freeze is extremely effective. I manage a pest control company and this is what we use. Proverde is all natural and safe for animals and such.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    "safe for animals" and "will kill them on contact" can't both be true.

    Do you manage any pest controlling ways that move instead of kill our pollinators?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    In California wasps/hornets aren't protected and considered accidental pollinators but bees are protected. There are plenty of resources from the state to have them removed but can take awhile. We also keep several bee keepers numbers on hand for that situation, but again takes time. Many people are deathly allergic to wasp stings and need immediate acting options that keep them safe. That's what these are. Pest control isn't always about killing things, but there are situations where these things are required. It's not my company, it's just my job.

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  • Get a can of wasp/hornet killer with a long-range spray and spray it directly on the fallen fruits where the wasps are because fuck wasps. They aren't bees, they're not worth saving. Kill them all and let God sort them out.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    The tree is near our fence with the neighbors so I gotta deal with this fast so they don’t get overwhelmed by wasps.

    Why are some random wasps your responsibility, though?

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